


blossoming into a new life

by mscherriv



Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Episode: s07e03 Home Sweet Home, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, a very small moment of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:48:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29242359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mscherriv/pseuds/mscherriv
Summary: David has an unexpected reaction to tree removal
Relationships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Comments: 17
Kudos: 113
Collections: Schitt's Creek Season 7





	blossoming into a new life

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [SCSeason7](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/SCSeason7) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> 7x03 - Home Sweet Home
> 
> This is the generic, catch-all prompt for all things related to David and Patrick's new home. Claim this prompt if you have an idea for a work that doesn't fit any of the other 7x03 prompts.

David’s never been happier to see his beautiful little cottage home; a deep sense of comfort and relief flows through him as he turns the car into the driveway. Working alone at Rose Apothecary is always tiring, but today it felt as though the universe knew he was working by himself and sent the most annoying customers into the store. Between Roland coming in first thing—before his coffee had kicked in—and the bachelorette party who kept him several minutes after closing, asking for decidedly off-brand items the store doesn’t carry, the day was filled with people trying his patience. All he wants to do now is see his husband and maybe have a glass of wine.

He finds Patrick on the back porch, reading a book and having a beer. However, the moment he steps out to join him, he’s greeted with an unfamiliar sight. “Oh,” he says softly, surprise mingling with a little sadness. 

Patrick glances up at him, then follows David’s eyes to the corner of the yard. “David, you knew it was getting removed today. It’s the whole reason I stayed home,” he says gently. 

“Mn," he acknowledges. "I just didn’t expect it to look so…empty.” There’s much more to this than he’s letting on, and he’s aware Patrick knows him far too well to understand that he’s not just surprised by an empty corner of the lawn.

“David,” Patrick starts, and David knows from his tone that he’s about to be teased. “Are you sad about a tree?” He fixes David with that infuriating, teasing smile that David loves.

David drops into the chair next to Patrick, thinking about how to articulate what he’s feeling. Patrick, always attuned to him, patiently waits and sets his book down on the small table next to his chair. To buy himself more time, David takes a sip of Patrick’s beer and makes a face. He hates most of the beers Patrick drinks, but he always has to try them; it’s his routine. 

“It’s just…that tree was one of my favorite things about this yard,” he finally says, breaking the silence. “I didn’t know it was a weeping cherry tree until our first spring here when it bloomed. Remember how beautiful it was? Even when the blossoms started falling off.” He could still picture the way the pink petals blanketed the lawn around the tree. There was something almost magical about it. It made him think of his trips to Japan, and he found it comforting to have that little reminder of one of his favorite places to visit. He may never get to go back there, but there was a tiny piece of it right in his own backyard.

He stops to gather his thoughts again, and Patrick reaches for his hand, his thumb gently caressing the back of it, encouraging him to continue. “And I forgot all about it until the next year when it started to bloom again, and it was even nicer than the year before.”

“I remember; you made me do that photoshoot with you standing in front of it,” Patrick teases.

“The backdrop of pink blossoms perfectly complemented my outfit!” he insists haughtily, but secretly he’s pleased Patrick remembers. 

“I also seem to recall that photoshoot ending abruptly when a bee buzzed near you and you went running back into the house,” Patrick says, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. 

“You can develop allergies at any time! What if I was suddenly allergic to bees?! Anyway, I’m glad my mourning our tree is funny to you.” When he looks at Patrick again, his husband’s features have taken on a more serious look. He furrows his brow, confused and concerned by this sudden shift in tone. “Okay, you know I’m joking.”

“I like that it made you happy when it blossomed in the spring,” Patrick says soberly. David squeezes his hand, a shorthand way of telegraphing his gratitude and love. 

They’re both quiet for a few moments, remembering the fallen tree. “It was so nice for those first two years…” David trails off, getting lost in emotion and unable to continue.

“But then the next year we had that week in March where it got unseasonably hot, and when it cooled back down and went below freezing again, it shocked the tree.” Patrick picks up the story. “And it didn’t bloom that year.”

David nods sadly, as he mentally fills in the rest. The tree never recovered after that. The last couple of years it had barely bloomed, the elegant pink blossoms few and far between. Several of the branches were dry and dead, and early in the summer they’d agreed to have it removed. When they made that decision he didn’t predict he’d be this emotional over losing a tree in their yard. He feels a little ridiculous that he’s having such a strong reaction. Patrick lets go of his hand and leans over to plant a kiss on his hair. They both stare out again at the bare space, a patch of dirt serving as a memorial to the beloved tree.

There’s more to David’s sadness about removal of the tree, but he’s not ready to talk about it. He can barely articulate it to himself, let alone find the words to explain it to Patrick. The tree was here in those first few years of their marriage when everything was new and they were still navigating married life and owning a home. Things are great between them, and they’ve settled into a very comfortable life together. David is the happiest he can ever remember being; he feels safe and secure and loved, which is all he’s ever wanted. However, losing the tree somehow feels like losing a piece of that early part of their life, and for whatever reason, in his mind the absence of it marks them moving into a different chapter of their marriage. _It’s just a tree_ , he tries to tell himself, but he can’t manage to stop feeling like it’s somehow significant.

Why, of all things, has the loss of the tree caused him to feel like this? They just celebrated their five year anniversary earlier in the month. If anything, that should have been the catalyst for these emotions, but maybe he was too busy at the time. Patrick had surprised him with a weekend trip to Chicago to see an art exhibit he’d been talking about for months. He was so excited, and felt such overwhelming love for his husband that he hadn’t had time then to think about anything else. It’s only just now that he’s beginning to contemplate what five years really means, because evidently something as boring as tree removal can cause him to have a small crisis about his marriage. They’re not newly married anymore. Other than anniversaries, there aren’t any more relationship milestones. _And that’s fine_ , he reminds himself. It’s a new phase of their life together, and he embraces it; it’s just going to take some getting used to. 

Next to him, Patrick starts to get up, which pulls David out of his thoughts. “I’d better get dinner started,” he says, gathering up his book and empty beer bottle.

“I think I’ll stay out here a little longer, if that’s okay.”

“Of course,” he replies, kissing the top of David’s head and disappearing into the house through the sliding glass door.

🌸🌸🌸

The next day is Saturday, which means the two of them have the day off. Hiring Sophie, their one employee, is the best decision they ever made as far as David’s concerned. She was originally hired to handle the online portion of the business when orders started picking up several years ago and they had to admit it was too much for them to manage. Once she’d proven herself with the online orders and customer service, they happily let her run the store on weekends.

Patrick typically reserves Saturdays for doing yard work or repairs around the house, so David is surprised when he hands him his morning coffee and suggests going for a drive after they shower and get ready. David immediately agrees to the suggestion—“going for a drive” usually involves stopping for food of some sort. 

Once they’re in the car and on the road, David has no idea where they’re headed. He guesses they're somewhere in Elm Glen, based on his general sense of direction. Considering how long he’s lived here, he should have developed a better internal map of the area by now, but it all of it still looks the same to him: long stretches of farmland and fields occasionally broken up by a few neighborhoods and stores. Finally, they turn into a parking lot in front of a row of greenhouses. David shoots Patrick a puzzled look. 

“Is this a plant nursery?” he asks, understanding beginning to dawn.

“Yes,” Patrick says, smiling. “I thought we could pick out a new tree. Together.”

David eyes sting with tears and he kisses his husband on the cheek. “Thank you,” he whispers.

Once inside, he finds that most of the tiny trees seem nearly identical, but Patrick examines each one carefully, even squatting down to look at the roots in the pot. After the third time Patrick does this, David meets his eyes with a quizzical expression as he’s standing back up. 

“I researched how to choose a healthy tree,” he explains, and David has to smile. Of course Patrick Brewer, always the poster boy for practicality, spent time looking up information on buying trees. No one ever explains that it’s mundane things like this that make a person fall more in love with their spouse, but he’s found that to be the case over the years. 

“Do you want one with pink blossoms or white? They have both.” Patrick crosses his arms and contemplates the row of trees, still trying to determine the best ones.

“Pink,” David replies without hesitation. White is a better fit with his aesthetic, but pink is the quintessential cherry blossom color, and he wants one just like the old tree. 

Patrick squeezes his arm as though he understands what David’s thinking, then gestures to a tree just to the left of them. “This one seems good. What do you think?”

David nods. To his untrained eye it appears identical to the others, but he trusts Patrick’s authority on which one looks the best. Patrick picks up the chosen tree and David follows him to the cash register. Once they’ve paid and returned to the car, Patrick carefully places it on the floor behind the driver’s seat. 

“I think I saw a bakery on the way here, just a little further down the road,” David hints, glancing at Patrick as he buckles his seatbelt.

“Why do you think I chose this particular nursery?” he asks, grinning.

David drops a kiss on Patrick’s shoulder as they pull out of the parking lot. “Have I mentioned that I love you?” 

At home, they plant the tree in the same spot as the old one. Patrick does most of the work, and David has no objection. He throws in a couple shovelfuls of soil, but it’s more of a symbolic gesture. The action causes him to have a sudden flashback to the time when he was seven and his dad insisted he dig the first shovel of dirt on the site of the latest Rose Video, even though he’d vehemently objected. This time, however, he actually wanted to participate, though he still doesn’t like digging in the dirt.

Afterward, they retire to the porch as they had the previous evening, trying to take advantage of the early autumn sunshine before the days grow shorter and colder. The mix of emotions David grappled with the previous day have now been quelled. He’s unsure whether it’s because he’s had the space of a day to calm his anxieties, or if replacing the tree has extinguished them, but he doesn’t care to examine it further. He takes a sip of the wine he’s poured for himself, then wordlessly takes Patrick’s hand and rests his head on his shoulder. A warmth that has nothing to do with the wine spreads across him as he gazes out at their new tree. He can’t wait to watch it change and grow.

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the song "The Great Comet of 1812" from the musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. This started out as a 1k fluff story about tree removal and doubled in size because it turns out David had a lot of feelings about it.


End file.
